You never really know a New Yorker until you step inside their apartment: Your most eccentric friend could be living in serene, organized bliss in a stunning rent-controlled brownstone for all you know, or they could be dedicating every square inch of free space to a fabulous shoe collection that would make even Carrie Bradshaw’s stiletto-stuffed oven scream.

Enter Jeremyn Lee, the former Thom Browne shoe designer whose piles of Prada would make you think he has a direct line to Miuccia herself. “My favorite brand is definitely Prada,” Lee tells Vogue.

“I try to buy one thing from the show collection each season.” Drawn to both women’s satin ballet flats and chunky sneakers depending on the day, Lee finds that Prada’s androgynous charm scratches a particular itch. “I love a contrast, and mixing super-glam things with really simple boyish things,” Lee says.

“I think it creates a kind of tension. I also see myself as a sort of fashion collector, so I’m not afraid to lean into a trend.”

For this month’s installment of Closet Case, Jeremyn takes Vogue to his Brooklyn apartment for a behind-the-scenes look at his piles of Prada and his seemingly endless assortment of designer shoes.

What got you hooked on fashion in the first place?

I’ve loved fashion for as long as I can remember. I was obsessed with Barbie as a child and still collect dolls now. My parents always supported my interest in fashion. They sent me to sewing lessons and would take me to the local Barnes & Noble to look at fashion magazines.

What was your first splurge? What was your biggest splurge?

My first splurge was maybe the Prada stripe monkey shirt from spring 2011. I found it at the Prada outlet outside of LA the summer before I started at Parsons in 2013.

I remember wearing it on the first day of school. My biggest splurge is probably between my Hermès Kelly Relax and my giant Bottega Veneta clutch.

Both of them are so huge and almost impractical to carry, but I don’t regret either.

What do you wear the most in your closet?

My friends always make fun of me, but I’m almost always wearing something from Pro Club—either the cargo sweatpants, hoodies, or basketball shorts. I have a fear of being overdressed. Usually, if I’m gonna wear a loud coat, I’ll layer it over my grey Pro Club hoodie to dress it down.

What do you wear the least in your closet?

I actually have an archive of heels (and some ready-to-wear) that I never wear out, but I buy almost all of them in my size just so I can try them on. I see them as an extension of my closet; I mix most of the heels I have in with my “real” shoes at home.

I just got a pair of Louis Vuitton spring 2010 green monogram denim clog boots that are super nutty. A few months ago I posted them on my Instagram as one of my dream shoes.

Last month I got a DM on Instagram from a stranger saying they found them at a consignment shop in Taiwan and reverse image searched them on Google and my post came up. She asked if I wanted her to buy them for me since she was coming to NY.

I’d never seen a pair of these for sale before.

What piece could you not live without?

I don’t know if I can pick one thing. I have a blue button-up shirt from the Prada spring 2025 men’s show that I wear at least once a week. The one with the wire in the collar and hem. It’s so easy.

What is your most treasured piece?

There are so many. Maybe the top three off the top of my head would be this Prada spring 2015 brown leather coat (the topstitched season); a Prada spring 2013 pink satin coat with appliqué flowers (maybe my favorite Prada womenswear season); and a Celine fall 2015 wool vest bag (my favorite Phoebe Philo season).

What are you struggling to style?

Kind of weird, but I’m always struggling to style sunglasses. I love buying them, but I sometimes feel like they don’t match my mohawk.

What piece can you not bear to part with (even if you know you should)?

From my personal closet, maybe my Thom Browne suits. I worked at Thom Browne for eight years (up until this summer) and have collected so many uniform suits. I definitely don’t need all of them anymore, but I have so many memories attached to them that I’ll probably end up keeping most, if not all, of them.